What You NEED to Know About Essential Oils--Part 2

By Kellene, Preparedness Pro on 30 August 2012 - 11:59pm

Yesterday I began a series in which I shared with our readers the CRITICAL information needed to know about essential oils in order to make an educated decision as to whether or not they should be a part of your self-reliance efforts, how to properly select them, and how to use them effectively. Unfortunately, the way the deck is stacked against Americans today, making these decisions is a lot harder than you might realize. Knowing this, I’ve been cringing a LOT lately as I’ve watched friends and family using essential oils improperly, or worse, using kinds that can cause long-term physiological damage or that will be useless in 2 years from now regardless of whether or not they’ve been used. As such, I just couldn’t make excuses anymore and I just had to find the time to get this series written. Today we’re going to continue with one of the most fundamental criteria that you’ve just got to insist upon when you select an essential oil. If you choose an essential oil that doesn’t meet this criteria, you would be much better off not using them at all no matter what the price.

Yesterday I discussed the vast amount of financial gain that that various industries have in NOT providing us with actual cures for diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes, Hepatitis C and so forth. And as a direct result of this financial gain that’s to be had or LOST, depending upon the medical decisions of everyday individuals like you or me, there are presently less than 1% of all the essential oils that come into this nation annually that you would want to use on or in your body. They are a far cry from meeting the arduous standards for medicinal use that is applied to essential oils in the nations which actually use them for medicinal purposes. In fact, in the nations which essential oils are used for health and wellness, all of the essential oils must go through a battery of tests administered by medically trained third party chemists. This battery of tests is known as E.O.B.B.D. which stands for Essential Oils Botanically and Biochemically Defined.

There are only two globally recognized standards for testing essential oils. One is used predominantly by the perfume industry and primarily identifies the constituents and other ingredients and identified the level of perfumery notes. This standard is known as the AFNOR standard and it is definitely NOT sufficient testing or quality to be up to par to use for everyday health and wellness, let alone life or death situations. I mean really, can you imagine? “I’m not feeling well today. I think I’ll go and use some Chanel #5.” Less than 20% of the essential oils distributed in the U.S. qualify for the AFNOR standards! In other words, the standards as set by the U.S. are so low, less than 20% of the essential oils which come here aren’t even fit to be used as a base for the latest Kim Kardashian PERFUME!

The other standard though, the one that is used for purposes of evaluating whether or not a particular batch of essential oils is suitable for medicinal use, is called the E.O.B.B.D standard. Medical facilities in Europe and the UK are forbidden to use any essential oil products which do not meet this arduous 9-step standard of testing. Since this testing process is so thorough, none of the other nations who use essential oils as a part of their medical protocol have attempted to recreate their own version of testing. As such it’s been the global standard for over 50 years and is the only globally recognized series of testing that’s suitable for properly identifying the strength of inherent constituents, the culmination of all present constituents, the purity, and the concentration of the constituents. It’s not some made up, slick marketing name that sounds official but is hollow on effect. Again, I can’t stress this enough. E.O.B.B.D. is THE global standard for identifying medicinally quality of essential oils.

Obviously, testing such as the E.O.B.B.D is not cheap nor is it easy. And it’s also impossible to manipulate the output results unlike a typical gas chromatograph test which so many essential oil companies try to hang their hat on. A gas chromatograph test can be set up to put out just about anything you WANT it to; all you have to do is change the input of information at the beginning. I’ve found far too many companies who try to assure me that their products are “pure” or worse—“certified pure therapeutic grade” testing “guaranteed. This simply is nothing more than a hollow promise in the U.S. world of essential oils. Also, let’s keep in mind that manure is “pure” crap but that doesn’t mean I want to rub it on my open sore. And if you were to ask any doctor in France who prescribes essential oil use for his patients about something so ridiculous as “certified pure therapeutic grade” he’d be mortified at even the suggestion that he use something made-up and trademarked that has nothing to do with the medicinal quality of his essential oils. Using such a useless designation as “CPTG” is akin to Kashi Cereal using the term “all-natural” while being riddled with GMO products that are considered poisonous in Europe and South America just to name a few areas. AFNOR and E.O.B.B.D. and “none of the above.” That’s it. Those are your three choices when it comes to evaluating essential oils. There simply IS no other level of certification of quality for essential oils. Be informed that anything else other than these standards are contrived to fit whatever the manufacturer wants it to be. I’ve learned this the hard way and I can assure you, it’s no picnic to wake up to. No amount of slick marketing will change the efficacy and safety of an essential oil. Remember, when it comes to a proper first aid kit, or battling an otherwise hopeless health situation, you really don’t have time to play Russian Roulette.

Perhaps it’s this lack of knowledge in the U.S. that has driven the demand for essential oil products even though less than 1% of them in the U.S. have endured the battery of testing required to meet the medical standards of the E.O.B.B.D. Translation, you have a less than 1 in 100% chance of using something harmful on your child’s teething problem or preventing your teenagers from getting the flu like all of the other kids in class if you opt to use a product that is void of the E.O.B.B.D. certification.

You should also know that in the U.S. an essential oil can be classified as a cosmetic product, a food or as a nutritional supplement (i.e. vitamins)—never all of the above, and never both as a food and a nutritional supplement. So if you see “nutritional information” label on an essential oil, this means that it’s a FOOD, not a nutritional product. It’s illegal and unlawful, not to mention really dishonest, to attempt to pass off an essential oil as both a food AND a nutritional supplement. But getting an essential oil certified as a nutritional supplement is a costly process in the U.S., as such I’m seeing more and more essential oil products that are publishing “nutritional information” on them. When you see that labeling, please run away. The good news is though that the E.O.B.B.D. standard mitigates much of this confusion as its entire purpose is to determine the medicinal quality of an essential oil. If you just stick with medicinal quality in your evaluation of essential oils, you won’t have to worry about whether or not they are a food, a cosmetic, or a nutritional supplement.

Adding to the problem of obtaining quality essential oils in the U.S., are the U.S. standards required (or should I say the LACK of U.S. standards) in order to properly label an essential oil. An essential oil may be labeled as “pure” so long as that the oil contains a mere 2% of AN actual essential oil—not to be confused with containing THE actual essential oil as it’s labeled on the bottle. For example, a bottle of essential oil in the U.S. can say it’s “100% Pure Eucalyptus Radiata Essential Oil but actually contain 2% Eucalyptus Globulus. The Globulus species is less expensive to obtain and process, however; it contains a much higher concentration of the constituent known as white camphor than does the Radiata species. So to save on costs, it’s very common that your Eucalyptus Radiata will be heavily cut with Eucalyptus Globulus. White camphor can stop the breathing of a small child in less than 20 minutes. That’s especially horrible when you consider that the #1 use for Eucalyptus essential oil is for respiratory issues. (Sure you may stop the runny nose, but you’ll kill the kid in the meantime. That reminds me of how the statin research studies for lowering heart disease were conducted.) Anyway, so long as there is SOME Eucalyptus Radiata in the bottle, then they can label it as such in the U.S.—fabulous, eh?

Here’s another important aspect of this testing to consider. The presence of an enth of a tenth of a percent of one single constituent can make all of the difference in the world in how an essential oil responds to the targeted body system. If that “enth of a tenth of a percent” is missing, you’re using an completely different product. Only the E.O.B.B.D certification process of an essential oil can measure to the lowest numbers of present constituents suitably in order to ensure that those beneficial “enths” actually exist in the oil.

I always cringe when I hear people naively say “oh, this is the exact same essential oil.” Or they will say that one essential oil smells just like another. It’s scientifically IMPOSSIBLE for one essential oil to be the same as another unless it came from the exact same batch—which is highly unlikely because any manufacturer who is worth anything is purchasing essential oils by the batch in large metal drums, not by the 5 ml. bottle. It takes acres and acres of botanical matter to create that one batch of essential oil. The scientific odds that one essential oil is exactly the same as another is more than 20 TRILLION to one. As an example, the essential oil known as wormwood can be THREE times more potent from one crop to another just because of the different levels of rain, heat, and humidity. This is why the E.O.B.B.D. standard must be applied to any essential oil that you intend to use for the betterment of your body and mind. The only way that one essential oil will smell exactly the same as another essential oil by the same name is if it’s created based on the AFNOR standard—the perfumery notes, because otherwise, again, it’s scientifically impossible for one batch harvested midday on a Saturday after a light rain to smell exactly like the batch that was harvested on a Wednesday at 9:00 a.m., 10 miles away from the first batch, before the light rain hit. It’s called nature and it’s complex. And any scientist knows that these elements change the entire profile of a component. Only a slimy salesperson will try to tell you that two different peppermints smell exactly the same and yet they haven’t been adulterated whatsoever. In fact, it’s because of this scientific truth that the perfume industry switched over to chemical fragrances…because they were having such a hard time to get consistency from one fragrant crop to the next. In fact, that’s why there exists a “Chanel #5”. It came after Chanel #4, #3, #2, and #1 until the creator of the fragrance got so frustrated; she decided to just go with the synthetic recreations of the scents in order to have consistency to her perfume.

(Incidentally, I worked at the perfume counter in 1986 of a large department store and I loved every single perfume and cologne there. I loved wearing it, bathing in it, etc. However, when I came back from the Philippines in 1990, I went to purchase my favorite perfume, Anais Anais, and it immediately gave me a headache. That’s because it was just prior to 1990 that the majority of the perfume industry switched over to the synthetic creations. I was shocked that my body responded this way, even to my tried and true favorites that were more subtle such as Obsession for Women or Honeysuckle from Avon. To this day I cannot handle anything slightly fragranced, not even lotion, scented candles, air fresheners, etc. It gives me an immediate headache, my nose stuffs up, etc. I feel like I’m swallowing the chemical of the perfume if I’m within 5 feet of someone wearing it. However, when I’m using a REAL essential oil of medicinal quality, I’m NEVER bothered by the fragrance at all, even if it’s not one that I particularly love.)

There’s a LOT more to cover here and I will continue to do so. Suffice it to say that for now I beg you to use this as your benchmark for worthwhile essential oils. You simply MUST select E.O.B.B.D certified essential oils if you intend to use them on or in your body. AND please make sure that the company from which you obtain the oils can SHOW you the results of those E.O.B.B.D tests. There is only one company that I have found in the past 10 years that uses E.O.B.B.D essential oils exclusively and who will proudly display their E.O.B.B.D. testing results right on their website, and that company is Be Young Essential Oils.** (NOT to be confused with Young Living Essential Oils which are one of the worst offenders of compromise that I’ve ever researched and who go by the AFNOR status if it comes in from out of the country; if they grow it themselves then they use no standard whatsoever and the problem is, they are growing botanicals that aren’t being grown in their naturally indigenous space. Lavender, for example, thrives in the high, cold French alps above 5,000 feet and it’s in that high altitude in which the botanicals produce a necessary quality of the constituent linalyl acetate which is a known anti-inflammatory constituent that specifically impacts the skin. Only by growing in those tough altitudes will the plants thrive and properly develop this constituent that’s necessary to get the best results for your body. However, Young Living, as an example, grows their Lavender in the dry, dusty, clay-ridden deserts of Utah. Remember the article I wrote about last week that talked about the drought in which I shared with you how a plant could be beneficial if grown in one moist and moderate environment but poisonous if grown in drought-like circumstances? Perhaps this explains why I got the results on their lavender oil that I did. I’ve contacted Young Living now for 4 years in a row to ask to see the results of the gas chromatograph testing results on their Lavender essential oil. In response to that request they sent me a report that had the EXACT same numbers on it. 1 in 20 Trillion chances of that happening, remember? This also indicates that the Gas Chromatograph input settings was manipulated in order to provide specific results. *sigh*

If you think that this bit of information might change the way you look at essential oils, and I really hope it does, wait until I discuss the blending of essential oils. That’s a whole ‘nother can of worms!

I’ve evaluated over 120 companies now that sell their products in the U.S. and Be Young is the only one that I’ve found that meets this criteria along with 15 others that I have created as viable benchmarks which must be met by any essential oils that I intend to use for first aid, preventative care and other healthcare.

**(Yes, the author IS a Sharing Partner for Be Young Essential Oils—and can you blame her? When I find something good, I'm going to pay as little as possible for it, and enrolling to be a Sharing Partner was FREE and it gave me access to wholesale. So why would someone volunteer to pay retail when they can pay wholesale and why would anyone want to trust my opinion on this matter if I, myself didn't invest in them. In fact, I'm SO confident in my position of this conclusion that I've stocked up on these oils at a "pandemic levels" and so if there's anything you see on the Be Young website (you'll have to put in ID# 8285 to see pricing) you can get the same product from me at WHOLESALE, without a social security number, NO sales tax, NO per-order processing fee, and only $4 shipping, and no dealing with an MLM. I'm not sure how anyone could logically complain about that, unless of course you LIKE being charged more for a product just so that the company can pay the exorbitant advertising fees to a famous celebrity spokesperson who's probably never even used the product, let alone researched the industry as a whole.

(However, if you think that you might want to pursue this as a business, then you can enroll as a Sharing Partner for FREE--no administrative fee: because Be Young Essential Oils does not use the "administration fee" predatory MLM practice. Their position is “you can’t help a sore throat with an Administration Fee”, and order as you see fit, or simply order as a regular customer from their site directly.)

i want to give you a HUGE THANK YOU FOR CARING ENOUGH, to tell us of the dangers of this. i was buying oils and putting them in my kit. i shudder to think that i would be responsible for the demise of a family member. or anyone else for that matter. i cant thank you enough. YOUR KNOWLEDGE IS TRULY APPRECIATED..... WE THANK YOU MY DEAR.

Deborah, I give the actual brand name of the essential oil line that I DO stand by. But it would be very arduous for me to list the 120 different companies that I've researched the didn't cut the mustard. Instead of spoon feeding anyone, I'm attempting to give you all a guideline by which you can make your own determination of what is or is not a good essential oil as the market continually changes.

I was really excited about your article until i went to the site and found the MLM information baring out at me. It just seems more and more, you are affiliating yourself with companies 'you use' and that makes me wonder how much of a kick back you are getting for recommending them? Your writing is eloquent and you are very well spoken and written, further adding legitimacy to what you recommend.

I don't care what you say, it's a multi-level-marketing scheme where if you 'join', you save money on the product. No, you don't have to then 'sell' the product, but it's greasy all the same.

Did you notice that you can also purchase the products from NON MLM sources such as Five Star Preparedness?

Did you notice that this particular "MLM" doesn't require ANY cost in the form of an administrative fee unlike EVERY other MLM company out there?

Have you forgotten just how valuable it is for people to be able to earn a living outside of a regular job in order to be financially independent?

Would you prefer to purchase products that you can just get from any store at prices that are reflective of a maze of various levels of commissions built into it by a bunch of faceless people you don't know that are void of the solutions you do need?

Wouldn't you prefer to have a real, live person who you feel like actually gives a flying flip about your health and wellness to discuss your options with or some late-night infomercial or overpriced mainstream retail product commercial?

Hmm...let's see...nope, no "scheme" here. Just common sense. Unfortunately NO ONE in North American essential oil sales wants to spend the time and money on providing proper essential oils. So, you either pay retail price for them from non MLM sources such as Five Star Preparedness or you can pay NOTHING to be able to enroll and purchase them wholesale. I'm sorry...where is the "scheme" in that kind of proposal?

There's no way in the world I'm going to pay full retail for something that I don't have to--especially if it costs me NOTHING to get the difference. And if that means that I get paid when someone foolishly would rather pay full retail price instead of wholesale, then so be it. You've likely used a prescription drug prescribed by your doctor before, but did you give him grief because of the KNOWN kick back he receives in prescribing such a drug? Geesh.

Oh yeah, and just for the record, BECAUSE of my broad endorsement of this product as a result of over 12 years of sound research, several dozens of my readers who I've never even met, talked to, or who have never even sold anything to anyone else, have received an unexpected check for commissions. Sounds pretty "greasy to me."

I think it would be a shame to let your misconceptions of MLM, as opposed to an actual pyramid scheme, and/or a person making an honest living prevent you from being properly prepared.

You may think this a bit harsh in response to your post, but I just don't take kindly to someone who has a problem with me earning ANY money considering that there has been 3 years and over 700 articles written based on countless hours of research nor do I take kindly to it being implied that I'm doing something "greasy." It's even worse when such accusations are slung before someone gets properly informed.

I'm glad she is standing behind the products that she has used. That's the whole point isn't it? I'd be more leary of it if she didn't use it. Thanks Kellene for your honesty and integrity in bringing us information we can't get anywhere else!

Great article Kellene. I signed up for Be Young months ago at your recommendation and use the oils daily to boost my immune system, clean my house, and as a replacement for some beauty products (Lavender or Palmarosa with carrier oil for facial moisturizer).

Be Young also has weekly calls at no cost to educate us on how to use the oils most effectively. The Bible tells us that God gave us herbs for medicine. In the old timey days, doctors (and moms) would use plants for tea, poultices, etc. but the pharmaceutical companies cannot patent plants so they created synthetics (which curtail symptoms but cure nothing). Knowledge and pure plant oils will actually help the body to heal itself as our Creator intended.

I have never sold a bottle of oil but purchasing it wholesale and being provided educational material at no cost is a blessing. With the raw materials being grown all over the globe, and the many current crisis situations, getting these essential oils in our preparedness supplies should be a high priority for anyone that wants to protect themselves and their loved ones. NOTE: these work on our animals as well.

Thank you for all the research and information on essential oils. Anything natural is preferable to me in contrast to products that are not. I guess it comes down to whether or not your "gut" instinct tells you to trust someone's word, and mine tells me that you are being honest in trying to help others. I appreciate your sharing your insight and research with us and don't give a fig whether or not you are making money from a company you think is offering a superior product.

I would love more information on E.O.B.B.D certification. When I googled it, the only information I could find was on Be Young sites. Please post some links to the certifying agency/ies. I am very interested in finding out more bout this as I am an avid researcher in natural healing techniques as well. Thanks.

You're going to have to go further than the first couple of pages on the internet--remember, this is not a U.S. thing and the majority of your initial search pages are going to show U.S. only. Also, a lot of folks are fixated on getting their information from the internet. Sorry, but there's still so much that just isn't available that way. The majority of the articles I write do not come about based on internet information, rather good old fashioned research such as in books, the library, and professional/expert interviews. I have the privilege of knowing well one of the 3 most prominent experts in the world when it comes to essential oils. And he has been a great resource especially since he did much of his studies in France. Also, I did provide TWO books in the Part 1 article; these books address the EOBBD standards.

Since I just bought my first EO from DoTerra not even a week ago, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that they don't cut it. ? I just looked on their page for info about testing. It's "CPTG." :( With a tiny footnote disclaimer that says their testing is internal and not industry regulated... I wish I could have read this article first. Grrr. There's a very good reason why I have not "done anything" with the knowledge of how wonderful EOs can be! It's so stinking complicated and when I finally decide *something* needs to be done, I get it wrong! It's a bit frustrating when I don't have hours to spend researching every topic I'd like to (I have 4 little ones with another coming soon, that I am with 24/7 due to home education), but I do the best I can.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, Crystal, but at least it was caught now rather than later when you've stocked up for something of pandemic proportions like I have. You can likely still use what you did purchase in soaps, laundry, or other cleaning.

Hi there, thank you for all the time and effort you put forth into each and every post. I was researching the company Be Young and found that the owner of the company is Dana Young, Gary Young (of Young Living essential oils') younger brother. I wasn't sure if you were aware of that or not but thought it was worth noting seeing how they are related and you speak so highly of one (Be Young) but not so highly of the other (Young Living).

Dana Young use to run ForeverYoung essential oils until terminating that business (2008) which he than started Be Young essential oils (also in 2008). He trained along with his brother Gary Young under the same french physician, Pierre Franchomme, PhD and Dr. Daniel Penoel.

There are a lot of similarities between the both of them which was easily understood when I realized upon researching that they are from the same school of thought because they trained and studied and built their business alongside of one another.

Thank you for prompting me to look further into this as I had never heard of Be Young before your post.

Actually, to be clear, Forever Young was the essential oil division for the company Forever Green, and yes, Dana did initiate that division on behalf of Forever Green until they, like Gary Young, decided that they wanted to go with adulterated essential oil sources in order to make more money. As far as the similarities between the two brothers, I'd say they USED to be similar, but are very different now. They never studied together and their studies were very independent of each other. When Dana left working with his brother, Gary, they parted ways because of Dana's commitment to the quality and Gary's lost appreciation for it. Several years ago, I was told by their corporate office that Gary is now living in Ecuador while waiting to address some serious legal prosecutions both criminal and civil. So I'd say they aren't much like each other at all. (When I do my research, I do much more than just what the internet conjures up.)

There are many reports in the literature about birch tree extracts causing dermatitis. This oil is NOT a natural extract, it is a chemical even if it is extracted from the bark, most however is 100% synthetic.

Is this true? Doesn't birch and wintergreen have some of the same chemicals? Why is birch safe and wintergreen toxic?

The white camphor constituent content in wintergreen is toxic. Also, a drop of wintergreen essential oil is equivalent to a large dose of aspirin--too much of will cause liver damage just as an overdose of aspirin will cause the liver to fail. As such I would never use anything that has wintergreen in it. ("Toxicity of Wintergreen Essential Oil" on the internet for more info.) This is one of the many reasons why I'm not a fan of doTerra's Deep Blue. It has wintergreen in it AND white camphor. Yikes! That's a recipe for lawsuits.

"most" birch may be synthetic, but that doesn't mean that all of it is. You're completely wrong to say it's not a natural extract. The primary reason why it's so hard to get hands on is because the majority of the birch essential oils manufactured in North America is consumed via pre-buying contract with the entities in Europe and the UK who use them regularly to speed up the healing of bones. There is only one company in the U.S. whose bought up the remainder available birch essential oil contracts.

Birch essential oil though is considered a "hot" oil, meaning that it will "tingle" on the sensitive skin thus it's not recommended to be applied to sensitive skin without a carrier oil that will slow the absorption.

As for why is one component safe but another toxic even though they share ingredients, I make note of that in the 2nd article as well. Water and Hydrogen Peroxide both share a lot of similar makeup but I wouldn't want to drink 2 liters of hydrogen peroxide each day. That kind of logic of shared components doesn't get a person far in scientific based research.

This link http://www.trademarkia.com/eobbd-75691671.html shows the Federal Trademark E.O.B.B.D. is cancelled.
"The USPTO has given the E.O.B.B.D trademark serial number of 75691671. The current federal status of this trademark filing is CANCELLED - SECTION 8. The correspondent listed for E.O.B.B.D is Bruce S. Londa of Norris, McLaughlin & Marcus, P.A., 875 Third Avenue, New York NY 10022 ."
Essential Oils are potent, powerful, and not all equal. Consumers do your homework, the education is available.

Not sure what your point is here. E.O.B.B.D should NOT be a trademarked classification of essential oils because it is just that...a reflection of the globally recognized processes performed to render a medicinal quality classification. So I'm GLAD it's cancelled in spite of a U.S. company recognizing it prior to other U.S. companies. The other companies who make up some type of mumbo jumbo classification of the quality of essential oils are what's suspect to me; case in point, doTerra frankly admits on their website that their "certified pure therapeutic grade" is of their own creation and is not a 3rd party testing protocol.

I'm confused. The trademark for E.O.B.B.D. was cancelled on 1/16/10. But a trademark for "Essential Oils Botanically and Biochemically Defined" was filed for on 1/27/10, registered on 8/31/10 by Be Young Essential Oils LLC (Dana Young). http://www.trademarkia.com/essential-oils-botanically-and-biochemically-...
As you say, if it's a globally recognized classification it should not be trademarked. I need to research this some more but welcome any comment you may have.

This is one of the reasons I hate to see people using oils herbs and other "natural products" . People dont research the products they are using enough. The disparity is your dosage of the same product even from the company can be vastly different. Their are simply no standards in the US. I was glad to see that their is in Europe and that we can purchase products that meet those standards here . Thanks for the info!

People just because something is "natural" does not mean it cant be dangerous. Knowledge is essential when you choose to use products as drugs. FYI do you all realise how many drugs from the evil pharma companies are actually "natural " plant based medicines? You wouldnt want a pharmacutical company making a heart medication without strict standards - why accept essential oils or herbal remedies without such standards.

Well let's be clear here though.. disparities can come even in quality products if they are from Mother Nature. One year you'll have high levels of Carvicol and the next, not so much, just as an example.

First of all, the EOBBD PROCESS is reflective of the ONLY globally recognized series of processes necessary to determine a medical grade certification, however, it's not the name used in Europe, U.K. There are a litany of tests and the "EOBBD" is the final conclusion used to describe their grade here, not there. However, as indicated in the article, 100% of the world does not embrace the use of this grade of essential oils and thus 100% of the world would not give a flying flip or even be aware of EOBBD description and its merits; only 80% of the world--with the U.S. obviously being a part of the 20%--practice alternative health care amidst their traditional medical industry.

Trademarks are granted on a country basis only. That's why Coca-Cola has trademarks in every single nation in the world. (The trademark work alone is worth billions of dollars) As such, a person can trademark ANYTHING in their nation even if it's readily used in another nation so long as a trademark hasn't already been granted in their nation of trademark application. (That is until some kind of convoluted "new world order" infiltrates the globe) An opportunist in the U.S. who would want to protect the misuse of "E.O.B.B.D" in the U.S. would be smart to trademark it here--because it's NOT a common criteria in the U.S.. The same strategy is viable for persons who are involved in the essential oil industry in other parts of the world such as the Philippines, Peru, Canada where essential oils aren't as embedded in the medical industry culture as they are in Europe and most Asian nations. They could apply for a trademark in the nations which regularly do use EOBBD type testing and certifications, but such an application would not be approved as it's already established there. Strategically though, I consider it a smart move here, in the U.S., where quality essential oils are actually discouraged; I could definitely see the wisdom of someone registering it as a trademark knowing how pathetic essential oil companies are at making any claim they feel like, and just copying each other without any integrity or misgivings in doing so. With a trademark as important as that of EOBBD that lack of integrity in the industry is somewhat squelched should any charlatan attempt to claim that their products are "EOBBD certified." In such a case the U.S. owner of the trademark could A) ensure that such a claim of another company was accurate and if not, then B) Exercise their trademark rights.

We'll be addressing those in the webinar series that's coming up soon, however, I have addressed them all individually amidst the other articles in addition to this series that you're reading. They just are listed as "15+ criteria for selecting essential oils". Sometimes my brain takes a while to get "organized" like that. :-)
Stay tuned for the webinar announcements.

Thanks for sharing about essential oils. Helping people handle their own health with essential oils is my passion in life!

I'm just curious -- have you actually ever used Young Living Essential Oils? Did you get all your information about Young Living from "Be Young"?

Just my two cents -- I started using Young Living products in 2005 and within one week on one of their supplements I got 95% of my health back from a six-year bout with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and fibromyalgia! I shortly was able to get off 4 Rx drugs with their essential oils.

I have been using Young Living essential oils and products extensively for the past 7+ years and have had wonderful results. I have also seen many, many clients get great results.

That's great that you like "Be Young" oils, but why the need to bash Young Living?

I "bash" on the AMA, the FDA, the USDA, Emergency Essentials, the government, and any other items or entities which are deceptive, inadequate, or worse--manipulated. If one of the 100+ essential oil companies that I've researched over the past decade don't provide what they proclaim to provide, or if they mislead their customers, then yes, they will be subjected to my response. I suspect that you would have had no problem if you perceived me "bashing" on doTerra or Butterfly Express essential oils, which, by the way, also miss the mark of quality that I personally require. Regardless, I'm an equal opportunity basher here.

Young Living was actually the first essential oils I ever used. I spent more than $5,000 on them over the course of two years thinking that perhaps I'm just a special case and that's why they didn't even begin to address my particular health concerns. Foolishly I continued to purchase them thinking that they'd be great for others at least in a crisis.Thankfully I I stumbled upon some research that began to shed light on the differences between essential oils--particularly in the U.S., I stopped purchasing them. This was about 12 years ago. After that time, I researched YL several times over the past 10 years in hopes that there was a change, at the behest of several friends who implored me to do so, but unfortunately, the matter of truth and quality has degraded. I realize that someone saying that can cause a person to be defensive and even go so far as initiating a counter attack, but such a response will not change the substance of the extensive evaluations made. Unfortunately, people tend to have a death grip on views in their life and leave no room for education or redirection, and I understand that. I don't write for the benefit of such persons, and typically I don't even respond to such persons' comments, as my time is better spent working with people who WANT to learn. If you'd like more information, I invite you to read the other articles I've written about essential oil use here on the blog.

Your experience is not unique with YL, as I could replace any of the "young living" words with a myriad of chemical pharmaceuticals, herbs, juices, vitamins, etc. and even other essential oils such as doTerra, Butterfly Express, or Old World. That's because the elimination of or subduing the symptoms of an issue is not the same as restructuring the cellular activity and eliminating the issue all together.

I actually just now read your response to my comment. So, do I understand you correctly that your poor opinion of Young Living is based on what seemed to you as falsified gas chromatography of their lavender oil? And you didn't get the results you were looking for with them? Is there anything else? I am asking this in all sincerity -- just trying to understand your perspective.

That was one of many things which gave me a poor opinion of their products, Julie. Using their lavendar on a severe burn which caused it to hurt SO MUCH MORE, that was also a wake-up moment. How quickly they degraded when stored in a cool, dry environment was another. You see, I had invested thousands of dollars in the Young Living products. That was the brand that I was planning on utilizing for my "pandemic medical preparedness". But I'm grateful that I had been made aware that there might be a problem because that's when I invested a great deal of time and research into the testing standards and other logistical issues that I hadn't realized played such a big part into the quality of an essential oil. In other words, I'm grateful for the challenges I had in using them because otherwise I might not have known that there was more to the issue. When I started asking the right questions, that's when things really got crazy and I realized that I had been woefully under-informed on what makes a quality essential oil.

Which essential oils degraded? I have several YL oils that are 6+ years old and have a friend with 17-year-old YL oils in her stash that are just fine. I know the citrus oils are extremely volatile and anything with citrus can evaporate somewhat through time, and that essential oils in a carrier oil might be better used within a few years ... Just curious.

Also, I was curious about what you were saying about people suing YL because of organ failure. What is your source on that? The only source I can find online is Quackwatch.org which is about as credible as Barack Obama. I'd be interested to know.

Sorry you had a bad experience with using YL lavender on a burn -- I have personally had the exact opposite experience.

Julie, While I wholeheartedly appreciate the civil nature in which you've attempted to engage in this conversation, I just don't think it's simple enough to address in back and forth blog comments. It's simply impossible for me to consolidate even one month's worth or research in such a forum, let alone more than a decade. I'm presently in the process of getting two books published and to market after which I will then be working on my detailed research as to why I ended up where I did, what criteria I developed over time to get there, and how and why XYZ companies failed that criteria.

I don't doubt that you've had positive experiences with any essential oils, because our bodies function at such low frequencies, even the smallest amount of essential oils can increase those frequencies and make a big difference. Frankly, only a bit of a "snob" like myself would even concern herself with the impact of long-term uses of essential oils that don't meet the same criteria as those used in the European and Australian medical industry. But a "snob" I am, admittedly, when it comes to things like that because I'm always thinking in terms of the long term. Unfortunately, I suspect that the very same legal issues will confront doTerra very soon for the same mistakes that YL made. (Their Deep Blue formula scares the beejeebies out of me.)

Regardless, I never set out to be a poster child for a particular company, especially one which offends my aesthetic sense of marketing as Be Young Essential Oils does with its endless supply of typos and lack of high-dollar marketing finesse; I only wanted to find a solution that worked for me. Unfortunately, that pursuit led me to one particular company and only one, I'm sorry to say. I'm happy to provide that information so that others can determine if they would end up at the same place, and I must at least say that it's VERY simple to find some of the questions you're asking thanks to public records (though I believe that people have become FAR too reliant on the internet for their information and as such miss a great deal as a result of forgetting the good old fashioned looking up of legal records). But unfortunately, it seems that customers/distributors of other essential oil brands can't be content to just use the essential oils; they have to attack, lie about, and skew information on their competitors, and as such I was forced to dig into the dirty laundry aspects of the other essential oil companies. Ugh! I loathe that part of the EO world, but if I hadn't armed myself with such information then I'd be slammed with accusations against my integrity any time I even mentioned the Be Young name. Unfortunately such an effort of organizing, writing, researching and RE-researching all of that information to support my decisions is a much bigger task than I have time for at present, and will have to wait. Thanks in advance for your understanding.

Do you have a link to your post about medical facilities in Europe and the UK being forbidden to use anything that isn't E.O.B.B.D? I can't find any articles mentioning that anywhere....except for websites associated with Be Young. I am trying to see the standards for European oils and the outlines they have for that standard you mentioned...what does E.O.B.B.D stand for anyways? Thanks so much, your articles are amazingly helpful and I am learning a ton!

essential oils bio and botanically defined. This is simply the initials used here in the U.S. Europe does not have a name for it, per se, they simply refer to them and "medicinal quality" as that's a formal description for them. In Europe it's primarily medicinal or perfume quality.

Crazy! I just ran into your article and website from Pinterest and pinned it as I have been trying to research DoTerra (as I was getting ready to plunk down $1500 dollars to get their big kit.) It was my intention to get all the EO I could for my own 'SHTF' storage as well as sell to perhaps make a bit of money along the way.

I am new to using essential oils overall and was excited about the opportunity to learn via DoTerras marketing information. I just bought a book on Amazon that furthers their claims.

I am exceptionally grateful for all the hard work you have put into your research and article, but dang, now I am so confuzzled! How can I, a simple soul, filter through all the dogma of marketing between all these companies? I was taking DoTerra's marketing as fact, and by your article, I was being buffalo'd. Having no research skills to speak of, and almost zero library time (I am a truck driver), I feel that now I am in limbo, taking on faith another companies claims. What to do...what to do...

Well, you can do what I did when I felt totally overwhelmed by what was fact and what was fiction...it's not like I'm a research scientist--though I will say that I have a unique level of determination in my research journeys. Anyway, that which I did was PRAY. I don't believe that doTerra is attempting to bamboozle anyone, I just believe their level of understanding is woefully incomplete. Just this past week I was able to show a woman, using HER doTerra essential oils and HER body responses compared to what I had discovered and she was able to realize that she didn't have "the best" that she thought she did. Your body will respond positively to just about any essential oil product IF there's even a smidge of real essential oil in the bottle--because that's how powerful essential oils are. However, after long-term use of an inferior essential oil you'll hit a wall, and will most certainly start reverting back to some not so pleasant health scenarios once the adulterants, inferior constituent contents, and other ingredients begin to take their toll on the body. It's no different that taking a chemical medication today and seeing a positive result only to see some nasty side-effects further down the road. That's what happens when you use inferior essential oils...so you're only trading bad problems for worse over time. When you remove or lessen a constituent from an essential oil that God put in there in the first place, then you have completely changed the make-up of that product. And your body will respond accordingly.
Anyway, decide for yourself if what I've written makes sense by going to the Source of All Truth. If it does, then go ahead and message me through the site and we'll see what we can do to help you get on track. Okey dokey?
Drive safely!

Here's the snafu with your statement. "Smelling the oils" and "experiencing their benefits" certainly doesn't tell the whole story. If that was the case we'd only need our snifters and one safe experience to "determine" that heroine is safe. When a person uses an anti-biotic they "experience the benefit" of it but that only tells part of the story. In fact, I'd suggest that part of the reason why you use ANY brand of essential oils is because you want to avoid the harmful side effects of pharmaceuticals. When you use ANY viable essential oil it will indeed increase the frequency of the targeted body system. But after long-term use, once it plateaus and can't continue to work further and deeper into a body system, more health problems are uncovered. (It's kind of like digging in the earth, you have one layer that presents X problems and the deeper you go you run into other layers with problems after a while.

The problem is, when you aren't using medicinal grade essential oils then you're using some that are out of balance with all of the constituents as God has created them. You also modify their benefits by using pressure to distill them, (which the company you mention admits to doing on their website) you are also modifying the constituent balance. (Note: there's no such thing as "slight pressure", that's like saying a "slight boil" when boils at 180 degrees. To get hot enough and under ANY level of pressure, is TOO MUCH pressure which will disturb the balance of the vital constituents.) Once you alter the smallest of percentages of constituents by improper harvesting, processing, distillation, storage, and blending with other oils, you will most certainly cause side effects. Side effects manifest themselves as soon as a day from the use of a drug to as long as 8 years, which is why the FDA requires FIVE year trials before it will certify just about any medicinal property. I'm very concerned a great deal about some of the claims your company is making via their distributors because they are indeed dangerous. I am certain that 5 years from now your company will be looking at liver failure and kidney failure lawsuits.

Thanks for writing such wonderfully informative posts on EOs. I've been trying to do some research into the different companies and I'm really interested in what you have to say about Be Young. I was wondering, does Be Young work directly with the farmers and distillers or do they get their oils from a distributor? If by chance you aren't sure, might you be able to point me towards the right direction of who might know. Thanks again for all the info and I'm looking forward to hearing your response.

Be Young has a strict contract with all of the harvesters directly (as most of the plants are wild crafted.) The essential oils are tested before they are shipped with strict criteria and they are then tested again once they are received here in the U.S. If there is a difference between the two, then there is a VERY significant financial penalty to be paid by the distributor as outlined in the production contracts.

Unfortunately I learned the answer to your question AFTER I had spent thousands of dollars with Young Living. Unfortunately the answer is NO. They are not anywhere near the same in quality as Be Young and it is manifested by the litany of lawsuits that Young Living is fighting for organ failure of many of their customers. Understand, Be Young packaging, marketing media, etc. is no where near as "pretty and polished" as you will find elsewhere. But 12 years of diligent study brought me to them as being bar none when it comes to the quality of their essential oils. I would much rather put my "thumbs up" on a company that's pretty AND effective, but unfortunately I don't think that exists yet in N. America.

The UK is nowhere near as advanced in their studies of essential oils as France is, in my opinion. However, they do, like France, use essential oils in their medical/health care industry regularly.

They are as different as night and day though each of the respective owners are related by blood. (brothers). Be Young was started by the brother who left Young Living after he discovered the adulterations that were being done to the essential oils at Young Living. After doing the research necessary to write the latest book put out by Be Young (I was the writer on the project), I came to see great discrepancies in scientifically verified issues published in the Young Living media.

Hello Kellene,
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for sharing this valuable information. I too have used other oils from companies that claimed to be of the highest quality but i just could not get a total sense of peace concerning their claims. When I asked questions concerning quality, the answers I received were not at all adequate to satisfy my level of standards. And when it came to using these oils on my precious grand baby I really began to investigate my concerns. I made educated choices based on efficacy and potential danger and I must say that Be young was my#1 choice. Where are you located I am looking for someone in the Dallas area to collaborate with on the use of these oil.

Hello Kellene,
Just took time out to research you Ms Kellene,realize you are out of state and that you are highly engaged in using the oils assuming the picture of a shelf lined with BYeos is your collection!
NHR organic essential oils out of Europe, do you know anything about them? After reading your article I realize that although a company can claim and produce documents of organic standards and may indeed adhere to that standard, ( higherstandards in Europe ) the potentcy and efficacy can be drastically compromised by dilution and by your eucalyptus combination example. How can you really know what is in the blends? Is there a test report that can identify all of the individual oils in a blend?

I have been reading your aritcles as I am in the process of becoming a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist. I just signed up for the be young essential oils and see similarities between them and Young Living. Is there anything that Young Living sells that is comparable. Like their books?
I have been with Young Living for about a year now and have always wondered how good they truly were. I have also learned thru my many books that the UK is the place to truly learn about incorporating essential oils into daily life.
I thank you for your research and only hope you are a trusted allie.

I have no idea where you're getting such information from but it's fallacious in many of its assumptions. Pesticides and insecticides do not make it into medicinal grade quality products in the UK Or Europe. They are much more stringent on those kinds of things than our U.S. is unfortunately. Furthermore, medicinal quality essential oils must come from organic or wild-crafted botanicals and unlike the U.S. such agents aren't permitted to be used in ANY other nation and still have a product be certified as organic or wild-crafted. The Be Young Essential Oils all come from either organic or wild-crafted plants.

Everyone makes claims. Smelling the oils, and experiencing their benefits is about the only way to "prove" any of these claims. When I've taken the lids off of my [redacted] bottles for others to experience, I get words like, "wow!" from people used to other brands of oils. My father is alive today - 2 1/2 years after he was supposed to die, due to using [redacted] Essential Oils to bring down his blood pressure. After multiple meds and multiple strokes, this is a wonder! My arthritis pain and inflammation is gone, and I'm able to enjoy my young grandson. And because of these awesome results, Yes! I am teaching classes and selling the oils. I hate selling, and didn't want a job. But I've always loved natural remedies and searched them out. This one found us, and I'm forever grateful! You can say what you want about [redacted], but there are multitudes of people getting help for a plethora of health conditions because of it. I don't even want to convince anyone of that. If they want to experience it - wonderful! If not, godspeed anyway! God will bring what you need when your mind remains open to his blessings! I'm sorry for those who were ready to experience [redacted], and have been turned off by your claims. There may have been other stories like mine, my dad's, my sister's, and others.

Apparently, EOBB doesn't really mean anything either... EOBBD is a regulation entitiy much like the FDA is a regulation entity. When the EOBBD tests an oil in order to certify it, they only test for 4-6 compounds. If the essential oil has those 4-6 compounds in the correct range, then the oil is certified and EOBBD approved. Pesticides and insecticides can be used on a plant and other chemicals can be used when making an essential oil and it will still meet EEOBD testing standards!

I have been using the deep blue for some knee issues. What exactly is it that scares you? Also, why do you think there will be law suits against doTERRA for liver failure? If there is something dangerous that I need to know about please tell me.
Thanks,
Cheryl

Hey. Thanks for the article. I have heard numerous people say that a "pure oil" my only contain 10% of the actual oil and still be called pure. I'm trying to determine if this is truth. I've googled and done considerable research and found nothing. Do you have anything to back this up?

I totally agree with your major point....you do have to be very cautious where you get your oils. Research the companies and, ultimately, deal with a company that has integrity. Quality is a major issue.

Actually, that's incorrect. The scenario is actually worse. It has to contain ONE percent of AN essential oil, not even THE essential oil that's on the label. I did the work the good old fashioned way...reading the actual FDA guidelines as well as the Import Regulations as outlines in the U.S. Code. I did that about 8 or 9 years ago before I ever started writing about the stuff, so I'd be starting from scratch to actually find the reference. Unfortunately much of the information that we really need nowadays has NOT made its way onto the internet.

Well, that's interesting on so many levels. If YL knows how important it is to obtain EOs from indigenous areas, then why would they be willing to sell a sub-standard product elsewhere unless it's just for aromatic purposes. Further, showing YL distributors the process of growing and distilling, would lead them to believe that they could do it for themselves, when even the foremost experts in Essential Oils in the world claim that they'd never attempt to do so except in the event that they lived in an indigenous area for a particular essential oil--because getting it "right" makes ALL the difference in the world. And lastly, why would they share with me the lab results for the lavender grown in Utah when I specifically had requested three years in a row a GCG result for "their lavendar essential oil"? (As in the Lavendar EO that they SELL). And in case folks aren't aware, it was the fact that these test results were EXACTLY the same all three years that was the final straw for m in researching them because it's absolutely impossible to have a plant have the EXACT constituents and concentration percentages from one harvest to the next due to Mother Nature and other external circumstances.

I don't know -- these are good questions. Maybe they used to distill that lavender and don't any more? I don't know. I just wanted to share that according to the father of a YL employee who I happened to meet last weekend, YL sells the Mona lavender to other companies.

I just wanted to share something I just learned about Young Living's lavender oil. You have mentioned that the lavender grown on the YL farm in Utah cannot be of the same high quality as lavender grown in France.

Well, apparently YL is aware of that because according to a YL employee who works bottling the oils, YL sells all it's lavender grown on the farm in UT to other companies and all the YL lavender comes from its farm in Provence, France. The Mona, UT farm is kept to demonstrate to YL distributors and others the process of growing and distilling oils (plus other plants are grown there as well).

I just found this out by happenstance this last weekend and thought I would share!

I appreciate your blog and all the efforts you go to to research. I admire your evidence based mind. I've been interested in Essential Oils for quite awhile but did not run into anyone who could give me a scientific, evidence based explanation of them and everyone seems to love different companies for reasons that I did not agree with.

I read these blog posts and wondered what you thought of them and what you think of Native American Nutritionals.

I'm sorry Savannah, but that brand didn't come close to meeting my criteria. They don't provide appropriate testing results nor do I believe that they have the expertise that they claim. Furthermore, just reading their website gave clear indications that they aren't properly trained in the selection, use, harvesting, and distillation of essential oils to do the appropriate amount of good on the cells. To be frank, after my research I feel that they are simply leveraging their Native American connections to give the impression of a better quality that doesn't exist.

Tiana, Kellene had a difficult time at first because it was a mlm company, but the more she learned about them the more she liked them.
We always encourage you to study the true evidence for yourself and make your decisions based on that. (by C for Prep Pro)

Sooooo my best friend & our husbands want to make you an official part of our survival team (non official obviously) lol! You're amaze balls and I'm LOVING your honesty & shared knowledge! What are your thoughts/experiences if any, on do terra oils (sp?) I'm kindof new to the oils and would like to expand. My son has an auto immune disorder, and I'd like to know what would be great to have to boost/strengthen ALL of our immune systems. Thanks! Keep up the good work! You're a rock star!

Tara, consider it done then. :-)
As for other product lines, there are NONE yet which meet the medicinal quality criteria that I've discussed in this article. But the company you've mentioned is even more concerning to me after I've read a detailed lawsuit between Young Living and doTerra. If I was a doTerra rep right now, I'd be REALLY concerned about the legal liability that I would have as ALL such reps are named defendants in that case. The case is one of the most egregious suits I've ever seen--and that's with growing up in a family of lawyers. It's vicious. And it's not going to end well for doterra I'm afraid.

Well RATS!!!! So now what the crap do I do? :( what line do you recommend? Sorry if you've already suggested or covered this, I'm a newby loving, and devouring what I can when I can when I don't have my husband, children, & clients tugging me in 87 different directions! ;)

30 years ago a board was formed who created an exhausting assembly of standards for what the botanical,and biochemical make up should be in order for the oil to be determined pure. They were recognizing that the APHNOR standard was far from being the level that was to be used for medicinal purpose. This database still exists and it is what any oil is compared to in order for it to receive the certification level it does in Europe and the UK. The ONLY company in the U.S. that I found who was willing to abide by those same standards, pay the vast amount of money to have access to the database each year to ensure that they would provide that medicinaly quality of product was a company known as Be Young. They sell their products retail or wholesale if you'd like to be a part of the MLM aspect of the business. There's NO charge to enroll, and no monthly mininmums to worry about just so that a person can purchase their products at the best price. However, they DO provide excellent education that really educates a person through the basic set of knowledge that a person should have when helping others use these medicinal quality oils. The database standards they comply with (EOBBD is astounding to me but it's surpassed by the excellent quality of education they generously provide consistently. Backed by an uncompromising product quality that none other in N. America has seen fit to utilize.
You can message me for further details if you'd like. Take care!

Hi I just came across your blog as I've been researching EO's. I noticed that the EOBBD is also trademarked, similar to doTERRA's CPTG, which many bloggers have noted is not a certification, just a term coined by the company. Is EOBBD similar in that it's not an actual certification but a coined term? Thanks. This is all quite overwhelming.

EOBBD is the exact phrasing used the the board in Europe that was used to establish the standard constituent make up of all essential oils utilized there. This standard was established about 35 years ago as they found their own medical industry starting to become infused with EOs that were merely APHNOR standard and not medicinal quality.

The term EOBBD WAS indeed trademarked in the U.S. by the only U.S. manufacturer company that actually honors that same standard so that no one else could claim it without it actually being accurate. It is not a recognized U.S. standard in the least, because as stated in the articles, the U.S. is not interested in establishing ANY standard for essential oils other than as supplements. Again, it is not a certification in the U.S.--but as I finally discovered after 9 years, I can't and don't rely on any U.S. certifications for the purposes that I have in mind for essential oils.

Again, the standards of essential oils botanically and biochemically defined is exactly the phrasing and purpose for the standards that have been established by the nations that still use EOs in their medical care.

So who tests Be Young oils to certify that they meet the same standards of constituant make up as the oils deemed "medicinal" in Europe? Does Be young claim their oils are "medicinal"?

Also, I noticed that you didn't reply completely to Holly Petrie on 9April 2013 about the fact that she researched and found that EOBBD is a regulating entity like the FDA and they only check for 4-6 constituants. What exactly is EOBBD, what do they do? Are they the testing agent? Again, who tests the oils and where are they tested to be EOBBD certified?

A lot of companies promising goodness. Starting to realize not all oils are created equally. I've also read that you can put a drop of oil on construction paper to test purity. Is this accurate? Is there another way to test accuracy?

I WISH you could do that so easily, but I'm afraid there's much more science to the evaluation than that. Much more. That's just some hoopla that another misinformed person is spreading around.
If you'll read the other articles I've written on the subject of EO on this page, I think you'll find some helpful information AND you'll get some good referrals for some fabulous books too. :-)

I had started reading the science of essential oils before reading this and I to have come to the same conclusion, especially about certain oils claiming to be superior than others just to up their price. I was wondering though I haven't checked out Be Young's site yet because the only time I get to research is in the wee hours of the morning and I'm getting quite tired right now to continue right now, if you could tell me where I might be able to research this on my own, i strongly believe in what you say but I like to check out the products thoroughly before I buy, and can you purchase them in other places besides the internet, personally I haven't spent big bucks on them, since I can't, I'm on very limited budget, I like to purchase them locally, like I have been, and are there any you would recommend besides these, I like sampling different things and experimenting on my own. thank you in advance for any info you may be able to supply.

My conclusions are a culimination of 16 years, in total. Your research journey will depend on on WHAT component you're most interested in. I can tell you one thing though that I've learned far too late in the journey, is that purchasing anything other than a medicinal quality EO will actually cost you 7 to 70 times more because you're purchasing the constituents that benefit the body--not the essential oil. That's what's most important. So if you need xyz constituent for what ails you, but you're only getting a .00000003 percent and yet a medicinal quality gives you 38%, then your larger bottle that's priced cheaply is significantly MORE expensive.

I really appreciate your article and how informative it is. I was wondering if you have heard of [redacted for possible SPAM] as a rating. I would appreciate any information you have. The EO industry is very overwhelming!

Debbie, what I can tell you is that there is NO such rating as "pharmagrade" in the EO industry. It's just another creative marketing phrase that that company has used. That is always a KEY indicator to me that the company is off to a bad start to begin with. I think we can leave it at that, unfortunately. The industry completely PREYS on the confusion and the ignorance of the American people--particularly when it comes to alternative health care.

I don't trust any company that utilizes in-house lab evaluations or that creates a term "certified therapeutic pure" with the intent to mislead people into believing it's a legitimate certification (present it as if it's an industry standard), which it is not. doTerra even admits this deception on their site that it's simply "created for marketing purposes". doTerra doesn't meet my criteria. Furthermore, they are presently the subject of a big lawsuit against them from Young Living (who also does not meet my standard criteria) for using synthetics. Unfortunately, this lawsuit lists EVERY doTerra distributor, so I feel VERY badly for my friends who are fans of doTerra as any one of them could be caught in the crossfire of this suit and find themselves facing legal fees because of their association. It's not going to be pretty, that's for sure. (you can find the details on the lawsuit/case, including the evidence that's been submitted showing synthetics in their products, online using standard internet search engines)